Recipe Shout Out: Baked Vegetable Samosas

These Baked Vegetable Samosas from Simply Life use ready-made wonton wrappers so they are so quick to make and the fragrance of the filling makes it difficult to wait until you stuff the wrappers before digging in! I followed the recipe exactly except to cut out the chili in order to make them toddler friendly. I have also had great success with freezing these. Just freeze uncooked samosas in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a large freezer bag. There's no need to defrost before baking, just add approximately 2 minutes to the baking time. Hope you enjoy these as much as we did! Follow this link over at Simply Life for this tasty samosa recipe.

Staple Recipe: Creamy Crockpot Polenta

Please excuse the fact that there is no picture of this recipe, I forgot to take one, but I was so excited about it that I couldn't wait until I made it again to post about it!


I have always struggled with polenta. I dislike instant polenta's texture and I find the fact that I have to babysit and stir regular polenta for 35-40 minutes tedious in the extreme.


I have now found the perfect solution! Regular polenta cooks up creamy, smooth and amazing in a slow cooker. I've adapted this recipe from one in The Italian Slow Cooker. Made as posted, this recipe is suitable for toddlers over 1 year but you can make it with all water and serve to babies over 10  months. This is a recipe for basic polenta, but you are really hindered only by your imagination with this one -- I've posted a couple simple variations at the bottom to get you started. Polenta is a great side-dish and is especially good with a meat or mushroom ragu as is, but you can also spread it out on an oiled baking sheet, chill, and cut into diamonds or rectangles and then bake or grill them and use for snacks or as bases for appetizers.

 Creamy Crockpot Polenta

- 1 cup coarsely ground corn meal (the old-fashioned kind NOT instant or 
  quick-cooking)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk

Stir all ingredients together in a large slow cooker. 

Cook on high covered for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through. At the end or the 2 hours, give it another good stir and check if it needs more liquid -- if so add a little water or milk to thin. Let cook another 30 minutes until thick and creamy. Serve hot.


* Makes 6 adult-sized servings
* Polenta will keep in the fridge for 3 days but is best freshly made.



A COUPLE VARIATIONS: 

Add chopped fresh sage along with 1/4 cup grated asiago and 1/4 grated parmesan....YUM

For breakfast: Top with milk, cream, or yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and fresh or dried fruits

Share your favorite variations!









 

Savory Corn and Cheese Mini Muffins

In my return to work I have realized that it is less tiring being at work than being at home with Luc! Apparently he behaves well at day care and is 'helpful'. I need to find out what their magic is. In the short time it took me to whip these muffins together he managed to eat half a crayon, eat half a dog biscuit, pull the cat's tail, throw a tantrum and defeat the child safety lock on the dining room sideboard....all while I was in the same room and in a span of about 20 minutes. 
 
Oh well...at least the muffins are mighty tasty! I've made them before but made a couple changes this time around and now they are even better. Perfect as a snack, breakfast, or served on the side with soup, these are great at home or in a packed lunch. I adapted this recipe from Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child.Suitable for munchkins 10 months and up.

Savory Corn and Cheese Mini Muffins

- 3/4 cup drained canned corn or thawed frozen
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- 1/4 plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn meal
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Add corn and green onions to a good processor or blender and whiz until chopped. Add yogurt, butter, maple syrup and egg and whiz again to combine.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredient and stir until just combined. Stir in the grated cheese to the mixture. 

Spoon batter into a mini muffin pan, adding about 3/4 tbsp to each cup (the picture shows the muffins with a paper liner, but having tried both, I would suggest just using a greased muffin tin without liners as the muffins stick awfully to the paper).

Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen, golden, and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan.

* Makes 10-12 mini muffins
* These keep well in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months

Lemony Millet Pilaf

We were supposed to have Spanish-style quinoa with supper tonight, however, when I went to grab the quinoa I discovered that there were only a few tablespoons of it left and our last red pepper was fit for the compost. I came up with this millet side dish instead and not only was it easy peasy, but it turned out really well. It's quite lemony, but not overly so and the flavour of the vegetables really comes through. Over the past year, we have been trying to incorporate a wider variety of whole grains into our diets, but have struggled to find a good side dish recipe for millet. Well, we have one now! This dish is suitable for all members of the family over age 1, but you could make it work for younger babies by squeezing lemon juice over the dish after removing a baby-sized portion and omitting the salt.

Lemony Millet Pilaf 

 - 2 tsp olive oil (or use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for more flavour)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup millet
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, well drained and finely chopped 
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley


In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, celery, and garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables softened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the millet; stir well to coat the grains in oil and cook about 1 minute more. Add broth, lemon juice, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed, adding a little extra water or broth if it looks as though it is getting too dry. Remove from the heat and let sit 10 minutes until grains are tender. Fluff with a fork and serve. 


Makes 4 side-dish servings

Whole Grain Broccoli Biscuits

 I had a little broccoli left in the fridge and decided to make biscuits with them. These turned out well and Luc is going to have them tonight with some leftover beef stew. 

 














Whole Grain Broccoli Biscuits

- 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped small
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium nonstick skillet heat olive oil over med heat. Add broccoli and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until broccoli is bright green and tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Transfer to a mini food processor or chopper and process until finely chopped. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flours, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or forks until well combined and the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Add broccoli mixture and cheese and then slowly add milk until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl. (You may not need all the milk)


Roll dough out to 3/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface and use a round cookie cutter to shape into biscuits (you could try making drop biscuits and skip this step if you prefer). Place on a baking sheet and back for about 12 minutes until golden, turning once halfway through. 


Makes about 1 dozen.

Potatobaga Mash and Carsnip Mash

These are both great easy side dish alternatives for mashed potatoes and also make a great puree for babies over 8 months who enjoy a chunkier texture. Rutabagas are a good source of vitamin C, folate, and fiber and I think they get underused. Plus both of these mashes use produce that's in season in the winter.  

 Potatobaga Mash 
-1 lb good mashing potatoes, peeled and chunked
-1 lb rutabaga, peeled and chunked
-3 tbsp butter 
-1/4 cup vegetable broth 
-1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
-sprinkle of black pepper
(adults may want to add a little salt) 

Place rutabaga in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Rutabaga takes longer to cook than potato so add potato just when the rutabaga is just starting to get tender, roughly 10-15 min. Continue cooking until both are tender.

Drain well in a colander, then return the chunks to the saucepan. Heat vegetable broth in the microwave and let the butter melt into it. Once melted, add to the vegetables along with the nutmeg and black pepper and mash until smoothish.  

Carsnip Mash: Substitute parsnips and carrots for the veg but otherwise follow the ingredients and directions as above, except only cook the parsnip for 5-10 minutes before adding the carrots.